"Let's get this meeting started, shall we?" I called out, leaning back in my throne and acting as if I actually knew what I was doing.
"The reason I changed the layout of my domain," I continued, gesturing to the massive obsidian table, "is because this room will serve as the gathering place for the Seven Deadly Sins."
"But, my Lord, that will not be possible," she interjected smoothly, not even giving me a second to finish my grand speech.
Snap. My Pride flared instantly at the interruption. Who was she to cut me off in my own soul?
To make an example out of her, I didn't even raise my voice or stand up. I just tapped directly into the raw, heavy power of the Cenotaph itself. I conjured a fraction of that divine authority—a suffocating, crushing weight specifically designed to suppress the other Sins—and let it slam down directly onto her shoulders.
She gasped loudly, her hazy form instantly dropping to one knee as the terrifying gravity threatened to crush her into the stone floor.
"Please, my Lord! I was wrong!" she strained out, her sultry voice cracking under the sheer pain of the pressure.
"Yes," I said coldly, looking down at her from the head of the table. "It would be best if you didn't interrupt me while I am speaking."
I slowly pulled the heavy pressure back, letting it dissolve into the dark void of the room.
"Understood," she whispered, catching her breath. She gracefully pulled herself back up and returned to her seat, keeping her head respectfully bowed.
--
"So, it is decided," I said, leaning back into the heavy stone of my massive obsidian throne. I laced my fingers together, resting them on my lap, doing my absolute best to act like a centuries-old mastermind instead of a sleep-deprived Tier 2 Awakened. "We will hold the Gathering of the Sins here, in my domain, every Monday at exactly 2:00 PM."
I let the silence stretch for a few seconds, allowing the weight of my authority to settle over the dark, echoing hall.
"I will be the one to initiate the summon. You do not call me. Am I understood?" I paused, looking down at the hazy, blurred form of the Sin of Lust sitting at the long table. "Now, you may speak."
Luxuria bowed her head respectfully, the static-like Ether obscuring her features shifting slightly. "Yes, my Lord. However, there is a pressing matter you must know regarding our numbers. As of right now, only three of the Seven Sins have awakened."
I raised an eyebrow, keeping my face perfectly neutral. "Only three? Which ones?"
"Pride, Lust, and Greed," she answered smoothly, her sultry voice echoing off the stone pillars. "And I must inform you that Greed has not yet fully taken over their host's body. The Sin is still largely dormant, merely a whisper in their host's mind."
My brain immediately started racing.
Only three of us? And Greed is basically a sitting duck? If Greed hadn't fully awakened, their host was incredibly vulnerable. I needed to find them as soon as possible. If Raphael—or any of the other Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—found the host of Greed first, it wouldn't even be a fight. It would be an execution.
"I see," I replied aloud, waving a hand dismissively as if this were minor news. "That is not a problem. Tell me, Luxuria, what is your current Tier?"
"I am currently at Tier 4, my Lord."
"Hmm. Tier 4. That is... acceptable," I nodded slowly.
Internally, I was screaming. She's a Tier 4?! I was sitting here commanding her like a god, and I was only at the bottom of Tier 2! If my Cenotaph didn't grant me absolute, crushing authority while inside this room, she could probably blink and turn me into red paste.
I cleared my throat, carefully keeping my royal blue Ether steady. "Do you already know the requirements for your Tier 5 advancement ritual?"
She hesitated for a fraction of a second. "I have uncovered pieces of it, my Lord, but the full picture of the ritual is still clouded to me."
"We will discuss it further at the next gathering," I said, cutting her off smoothly before she could ask me to magically solve it for her. I needed to buy time to actually figure out how to be a boss. "For now, we establish a new rule: from here on out, we will not refer to each other by our original names. When the others eventually join us, our true identities must remain completely anonymous to one another."
I gestured to her hazy face. "Since you already know my real face from the Hotel, you will keep it to yourself. When the others are summoned, they will be masked and hidden, just as your face is blurred to me now."
Luxuria stood up and bowed gracefully. "As you wish, Lord Lucifer."
I dismissed her with a flick of my wrist, and her hazy form dissolved into the dark void of the Cenotaph, leaving me completely alone in the massive stone hall.
The second I was sure she was completely gone, my dominant posture vanished. I slumped heavily against the back of the throne, dragging both hands down my face as a massive headache began to pulse right behind my eyes.
Sigh.
"Kallisto," I muttered to the empty, echoing room. "This is way too much pressure for a Tier 2 human."
[Notice: You handled it adequately. However, your heart rate spiked to 140 BPM when she revealed she was Tier 4.]
"Shut up," I groaned, closing my eyes.
I was so, so tired.
-------------
"This shit is going nowhere," I muttered, staring up at the dark ceiling of my hotel room. "Everywhere I look, there's a massive problem, and now I have to babysit a bunch of other Sins on top of it. This is getting completely out of hand."
[Notice: Yes.]
Just 'yes'? Wow, Kallisto, that's rich coming from you, I thought, rolling my eyes. By the way, does Luxuria have a System like you?
[Notice: Yes, she does. However, hers has a different personality than mine. Additionally, a lot of information is currently hidden from you because your Tier is too low.]
[Notice: The reason you are receiving this level of communication is because you unlocked your Cenotaph far faster than the other Sins. With the exception, of course, of the Sin of Lust, who has already unlocked hers.]
Hmm. Okay, that makes sense, I conceded. But now I have another pressing matter to attend to.
Hey, Kallisto. Do you have any idea about my advancement ritual? I can probably buy a Tier 3 crystal from the underground exchange tonight, but having the crystal is useless if I don't know the actual ritual to rank up.
[Notice: You do not meet the requirements to ask that question right now. However, I will give you a hint. Proceed to the destination you are already heading toward. It will provide a roadmap for your advancement.]
"To the pirate island we go, then," I sighed out loud, dragging a hand down my face. "Also, I noticed you're being awfully talkative all of a sudden."
[Notice: Because I feel like talking right now.]
[Notice: Also, remember that the ritual is not the only thing you must focus on. To advance, you must find Memory Fragments, absorb the corresponding Ether Crystal, and physically act as the Sin of Pride dictates.]
I sat up straight, frowning. "Hah... what does that mean? That's way harder than how I advanced to Tier 2!"
[Notice: That is because you were at the very bottom of the ladder. Now that you are climbing closer to the realm of demigods, the laws of the world are stricter. To advance, you must complete four steps: 1. Absorb an Ether Crystal of the corresponding level. 2. Complete the Ritual. 3. Consume Memory Fragments of Pride. 4. Embody your Constraint. That is all.]
[Notice: However, that rule does not apply to the Virtue Awakened. It is an exclusive burden for the Sins. The Virtues only need to complete their ritual and consume the corresponding Ether Crystal to advance.]
"Ahhh... my head hurts," I groaned, pressing both hands against my temples.
Not only did I have to find all of those incredibly rare items and figure out a secret ritual, but I also had to do it all while being careful not to get completely overtaken by the actual, primordial Sin living inside my chest.
Sigh. Being a villainous mastermind is exhausting.